Nigel Farage claims Parliament needs to ‘fear the electorate’

The Brexit Party leader was speaking ahead of his European elections campaign launch in Coventry.

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Nigel Farage has claimed Parliament needs to “fear the electorate” over “betrayal” of Leave voters.

Speaking ahead of the launch of the Brexit Party in Coventry today, Mr Farage claimed he will not allow the far right to “tarnish the brand” as they had with his former party Ukip.

But Mr Farage insisted those who voted for Brexit had been “betrayed” by a parliament “completely out of touch with the people” so he wanted a revolution in British politics.

“We have been betrayed and the fightback begins today,” he told the Today programme.

“What we’re trying to do is launch a revolution in British politics and realign the party structure.

“We will be looking to take support from across the board and if we do that and if we succeed then I think Parliament will start to fear the electorate and gosh they need to, given this level of betrayal.”

His rhetoric is likely to alarm some at Westminster at a time when MPs have reported growing numbers of personal threats in the highly charged atmosphere over Brexit.

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Former English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson (PA/Gareth Fuller)

Mr Farage admitted the far right had joined Ukip, with former English Defence League leader Stephen Yaxley Lennon, aka Tommy Robinson, becoming its political adviser.

Claiming his new party would be different, he said: “In terms of policy, there’s no difference (to Ukip), but in terms of personnel there is a vast difference.

“Ukip did struggle to get enough good people into it but unfortunately what it’s chosen to do is to allow the far right to join it and take it over and I’m afraid the brand is now tarnished…

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“Here’s the difference – the Brexit Party is going to be deeply intolerant of intolerance.”

The Brexit Party will be “intolerant of intolerance” Mr Farage said – despite already having lost its first leader Catherine Blaiklock over allegations of racism.

When asked about his predecessor Ms Blaiklock, who quit after journalists revealed she had sent racist posts and retweeted those of far-right figures before joining the Brexit Party, he said she was “an administrator”.

He said: “I set the party up, she was the administrator that got it set up.

“Have we had a couple of teething problems? Yes.”

Mr Farage will step up the pressure on Theresa May by launching his campaign for the European elections on May 23.

Prime Minister Theresa May holds a news conference after the European Council in Brussels where European Union leaders met to discuss Brexit (PA/Stefan Rousseau)

Many Tories fear they will haemorrhage votes to the new party amid growing frustration with the continuing deadlock at Westminster.

Mr Farage, however, said his campaign was attracting growing support, raising £750,000 in small donations in the last 10 days.

At the same time, he said, more than 1,000 “high calibre” men and women had applied to be on the party’s European candidates list.